Backstep
by Chibi Fenrir
Summary: If she was forced to take a step back, then he would just take two forward.
1. Rewrite

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters. All rights reserved by SquareEnix.

Backstep

It was so hot it felt like he was walking inside an oven. The air did little to cool what skin was exposed, but, if the heat was all he had to contend with, then he wouldn't have any problem aside from wiping away the occasional bead of sweat. It was alright though. He already knew that things were never that simple.

His boot sunk into the shifting sand with his final step, and he stopped in front of the crimson monster that paid him no heed. His hair and clothes were ruffled by the sand-filled wind as he looked up at the thing they called Ruby Weapon. It was a fitting name considering the color, but the association stopped there. The monster before him didn't have the allure of a jewel even if it shined like one under the sun, and it was way too big to be any kind of conventional weapon.

As if his thoughts offended the monster, it suddenly looked at him with dull eyes that retained no feeling. It merely gazed at him with those empty eyes, perhaps waiting on some kind of rash move to provoke it into attacking, but the ex-SOLDIER was still too awestruck to do anything other than stare at the monster.

Well, until it moved.

One of its lanky, oversized arms slid across the top of the sand, and the claws at the end of left gashes big enough for him to lie in. Just the thought of being struck by something like that knocked him out of any kind of grim fascination he had with the monster and, with his wits back where they supposed to be, he inched closer to the Weapon.

Effortlessly, the monster picked up its arms and lifted both of them high into the air. The same claws that made the trenches in the sand pierced the clouds, the sailing puffs off white clearly cut in half with the motion. Cloud frowned at the omen as he stood in the temporary shade made by outstretched arms that blocked out the sun.

At the top of its massive frame was a neck that seemed fit for dragon, and, at the end of it, was a head that couldn't belong to anything but a demon. The narrow, golden slits it had for eyes were just as menacing as the rows of teeth in its mouth but it didn't look angry.

It just looked indifferent.

It was not made to fight. It was created to destroy. Everything but the world was a threat and everything but nature was an enemy. So it was only natural that its requiem was the sound of the planet being reset. For the sake of the world, it would raze its surface but it needed something to provoke it. It needed something to challenge him and that day was here.

It was finally here.

Cloud nearly lost his balance as the monster slammed its arms down and the sand practically exploded on impact, some of it launching into the air only to return to the ground like it was poured out of a giant hourglass. He lost the monster in the sandstorm, and had to force himself to open his eyes only to squeeze them back shut. He'd have to wait till the wind blew the sand away lest he go blind trying to catch sight of the Weapon.

Something cold gripped his heart as he heard the creature make a screech that sounded like cats trying to grab onto a chalkboard and he squinted just enough to see that the monster was still in the same place it was before it started its assault. The sand shifted and claws sprung out behind him.

The cold coil of fear around his heart had thorns large enough to freeze it.

He was scared.

Ruby Weapon roared and the planet seemed to tremble in the same fear that touched the swordsman as he stared up at the monster with wide eyes. It glared at him, this time with eyes that wondered how an ant had the arrogance to question the moon. It looked at him with eyes that dared him to make his move so it could put him back in his place.

His sword, Ultima weapon, gleamed in the sunlight. Different shades of pink were cast on the sand as he tightened his grip around the hilt and tried to slow his breathing. It was useless though. All he could think of were the claws rising out of the ground behind him, all he could focus on was the monster in front of him that ignored his plight was indifferent to his cause.

He was honestly terrified but he didn't expect anything else. This was the reason he knocked out his companions and came alone in the first place. If he couldn't beat this thing by himself then he didn't stand a chance against Sephiroth and, if he lost, he would be saving them from whatever fate he would suffer.

And he didn't want anyone else to die on his watch.

The Weapon attacked. The claws behind him raked across his sword before he knocked them back but the heavy arm that crashed into the dark purple sword sent him flying. He flipped in midair and recovered enough to dash towards the monster after he landed.

Before he could get close enough to counterattack, the Weapon again amazed the blonde as it stood and drove its arm back into the sand. If it was massive before, there were no words to accurately describe how big the monster was now. He craned his neck to look up at the Weapon and it stared down at him intent on erasing his existence.

It was going to be much harder than he imagined.

"Cloud!!"

Now it was going to be even harder.

Yuffie ran towards him at full speed, skipping across the sand with steps so light she didn't even leave footprints. She came even though he knew she could see what was in front of him. From this distance, he could see the frown on her face but he could tell by the way she moved that she held no resentment. Instead, he could see the keen understanding in the depths of her eyes as she neared him.

She wasn't thinking about why he knocked her out.

She wanted to help.

"Yuffie!" He barked out as he looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with the girl not far behind him. "You have to go back!! I can-"

A sudden gust of wind lashed at him as a heavy arm surged passed in an effort to get to the girl. With speed that didn't match someone carrying such a sword, Cloud grit his teeth and ran as hard as he could. He made it, not even a second spared as he slid into the gap between the Weapon's arm and his friend just in time to cover the girl.

He deflected the blow, angling the sword so the limb merely cascaded over it as opposed to taking the brutal blow head on and being launched into the air again. His heart stopped pounding in his chest long enough for him to think straight, "Yuffie…" He whispered her name as he kept his eyes on the monster. "You…."

"You can't do this alone."

Her words hit him, the impact obvious as he yanked his head up and turned to face her in spite of the Weapon before them. The ninja shifted under his eyes, shuffling her feet as his glare posed a question without him having to voice it.

"I'm not going back! I'm not leaving you alone and," She raised her head, steel gray eyes locking onto his as she spoke the truth, "Cid is mad at you."

"I know." Ruby Weapon dug its claws back into the sand and he spun back around. "I was trying to make you mad, too."

If she was offended, she made no mention of it as she stepped from behind him. Yuffie reached into her pocket and produced some materia only to slide them into the slots of her weapon, "I am mad!" The girl exclaimed with her weapon at the ready, "Knocking me out after I volunteered to come… Going off alone to fight a thing that-"

Rambling was cut shot as claws sprung from the sand behind her and she nimbly evaded the attack before deciding to use some of the magic she wisely brought with her. She slid to a stop, her boots digging into the sand as she took a stance and whispered the name of the spell.

The claws that sped towards her slowed down until they gradually stopped moving and the Weapon itself was frozen in time. With an opening finally created, Cloud ran up its extended arm and jumped as high as he could. As he started his descent, he grasped his sword and held it above his head with the intent to cleave the monster in half.

"Braver!"

The heavy sword crashed into the monster's head but the only thing that resulted from his limit being crossed was nothing more than a dull clang and rattled hands, "Impossible…" Cloud muttered upon landing, the Weapon already rousing from the spell that was cast on it as the two that sought to defeat it looked on in shock.

Abruptly, the monster roared and pulled its arms out of the ground. The thought that it was because he hurt it was quickly dismissed as the gem in the center of its chest started to shine. Its shielded, crimson core sparkled under the light but something was wrong and, after Cloud realized that the sun was behind it, it was already too late.

A thin red beam shot out from the orb and ran along the ground in front of him. Cloud waited, unsure if the monster missed him or not until the sand started to explode like a line of explosives went off. He was blasted backwards, his body ungracefully tumbling in the air until he rolled to a stop on the ground.

Shaking off the sand, he started to run towards the monster again until he noticed the sky was starting to darken but he knew this feeling. He stood his ground as the girl behind him made the motions to finish her summon and the Knights of the Round Table dropped out of the sky liked they were thrown from heaven.

They were just as big, if not larger, than the monster itself and their attacks resulted in more than their weapons just bouncing off. Ruby Weapon raised its arms and tried to defend itself for the first time but the swords, magic, maces, and axes the immortal knights carried and used still damaged it enough for its pained cry to echo across the desert.

This was his chance.

"C-Cloud!?"

Yuffie called after him as he darted towards the monster and jumped into the summon. He advanced on the weapon with all of his rage, skill, and strength focused into the conviction that was his strongest attack, "Omnislash!"

He heaved his sword into the air with him and started to slash at the monster so fast that sword became a blurred purple. He poured everything into the limit break as the knights continued their offensive along side him.

The frustration at not being able to put a dent in it…

Cloud cut off a piece of its shoulder.

The fear that made his mouth go dry…

He slashed through the claws and landed a crippling blow on its arm.

The fact that it tried to kill one of his friends…

He was going to systematically cut it into pieces.

"All Creation!"

Yuffie joined in, the gigantic beam of blue under him overwhelming the Weapon as he gathered energy for the final strike. He flew at the monster and the last knight sailed through the air. They attacked at the same time, the monster succumbing to the explosion of raw power as they finished the combined offensive.

Cloud landed on the ground and the monster, the imposing Weapon itself, faltered and fell to the ground like it collapsed on itself. They did it! He did it! Another weapon was defeated and he did it alone for the most part. The blonde looked behind him to find and congratulate the girl that helped him but something else had her attention.

"Cloud!! It's not-"

Something appeared between them, a small dot of green inside of a black orb floated in mid-air. The black expanded, encasing both of them in a void before realization dawned on him. He ran, but no distance could be covered in a place where distance or time just simply didn't exist. The only thing in this inky black besides them was the green that exploded.

Ultima.

It felt like the world blew up, everything before his eyes enveloped in waves of jade before the black retracted and folded upon itself. The void disappeared, taking the ongoing explosion with it as the hole in the world winked out of existence.

Ruby Weapon crashed into the sand with its last breath spent and Cloud rolled over, groaning as he got back to his feet. Compared to being surrounded by superheated, unstable energy, the desert air felt cool but the sand in his wounds stunned regardless.

Immediately, his own nicks and scratches were forgotten as he thought about the girl that followed him. He stood up, nearly leaving his sword as he spun around looking for sight of the girl…

And didn't see her.

He swallowed hard before clearing his throat, "Yuffie…" He whispered, her name leaving his mouth softly though he meant to yell it. "Yuffie!!"

No response.

No. This couldn't be happening. No, this couldn't be happening to him again. He refused to accept the thoughts that assaulted him as he ran oblivious to the blood streaming down the side of his face. If she died, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. If she died then he wouldn't be able to go on anymore. If she died then-

A sound interrupted his musings and he found who he was looking for. She was laughing, the light sound more than enough to relieve his fears, "I'm right here Cloud…" She said weakly, smiling up at him as he arrived at her side too tired to talk.

He took a deep breath, exhaling in relief as he stood straight up and looked down at her. "Yuffie… I thought-"

Wrong.

Something was wrong with her and he scanned her body looking for anything only to see what was obvious to both of them. Like him, she had various scraps and cuts but the blood that flowed from the broken stump of her arm stained the sand under her. He blinked, rubbing his eyes with his forearm before looking down at the sight again.

"It's that…" Her words were staggered, her forced laughter lost on sight of his expression. "It's that bad…?"

Her words, the way she was looking at him, the tears…

"N-No!" He knelled down at her side, fishing in his pocket for anything that could help her. "Everything…" His voice cracked and he knew it. "Everything is going to be alright, Yuffie…"

The materia spilled out of his pocket, orbs of varying colors rolled in different directions but he didn't need all of them. He divided his attention between the wounded girl and the materia he dropped until he found the one he wanted.

"Full Cure!" He cried and a soothing wind flowed across the girl but nothing changed.

She chuckled, turning her head to the sky as he tried again in vain. "Don't waste your time…"

"Shut up!" He yelled as he cast the spell again only to hurl the orb as far as he could when it failed to work when he needed it the most. He twisted around, eyes darting around until he found something else. "I'm not wasting my time!"

This was more important than defeating a Weapon alone. This was more important than beating Sephiroth. He was not going to let her die on his watch. He wouldn't let her die. This was his fault! If he had made her leave then this wouldn't have happened. If he had been paying more attention then this never would have happened!

"Cloud," she smiled as one of the puffs of white in the sky sailed by, "I'm glad… I'm really glad I helped."

"Don't talk like that…" He panicked; a shaking hand holding up the materia he prayed would save her. She didn't respond. She merely smiled up at the expanse of blue with an unblinking gaze that nearly gave him a heart attack.

"Life Two!!"

The ninja rolled on her side, coughing up blood as her soul was forced back into her body. She was wide awake now, completely aware of the pain that made her fight to keep from screaming in agony. The only comfort was that he was trying so hard but she just couldn't live like this. Not in this kind of pain. Not without her arm.

She didn't have any say in the matter as he lifted her, clumsily picking her up and adjusting his arms around her in order to make her as comfortable as he possibly could. She cringed, her face twisting in pain as her bone jut into his chest but he didn't say anything as he started running in what he hoped was the right direction.

The broad side of his sword slapped against his back as he rushed across the desert. He was sweating, perspiration blinked out his eyes as he looked through hot haze of the desert.

Though he was as careful as he could be, he took a step too quick and crushed her against him in an effort to keep his balance. She cried out in pure anguish, what was left of her arm squeezed between his chest and her own body.

"I'm sorry…" Cloud said all too softly, his voice dripping with panic yet tinged with concern. "I'm sorry…" He repeated with misty eyes as he crossed the desert, "Yuffie, please don't…"

He couldn't say it and she hoped what dripped on her was sweat as he continued to run.

She wanted to say it was alright. She wanted to say that she was okay but she knew she wasn't. This kind of pain was unlike anything she ever experienced in her entire life and it took everything she had to keep from throwing up on the spot. She was sick to her stomach, the notion that she already died once making her feel so bad that reassuring someone else felt like fallacy.

Still.

"Don't cry…" She tried to smile but she was too tired; she tired to look up but her eyelids felt so heavy she shut her eyes. "I'm alright so… don't cry…"

He stopped. She drew the strength to open an eye long enough to see what happened. Instead of bade slopes of sun baked sand, she could see mountains in this distance and grass not too far away.

She closed her eyes again but the jolt of suddenly being laid on the ground was enough to wake her long enough to hear him shuffling through the pack she brought with her. She could hear the hiss of a tent being unpacked, the muted clank of stakes landing on the ground as threw them down and stretched out the ropes he needed to keep the tent upright.

"Yuffie…" He sounded so scared; almost too timid to be the same person that just defeated one of the strongest monsters they ever came across. "Stay awake. I'm going to set this up as fast as I can so…."

She looked up at him, a strained smile coming to her face as she gave him a corny thumbs up. "D-Don't worry about me…"

He nodded, the hopeful expression he put on for her sake changed the moment he turned around and she saw it. For a long second, she watched him walk away. She looked at his back and studied the man in front of her before she started to feel sleepy again.

"Cloud…"

Her voice didn't reach him as he rushed to put up the tent and she closed her eyes, her trip into the murky depths of unconsciousness starting the moment she let his name escape her lips.

Yuffie opened her eyes one last time, the sight of him using his sword to hammer down the stakes amusing her for some reason but she was too out of it to laugh. All she could do was lay back and hoped this wasn't it for her even though she knew it was.

She was going to die.

"I'm…" The sight disappeared, replaced with a deep black akin to the one that took her arm but this was one was more somber, more defining than just some magic spell. "I'm sorry..."

0

It was cold.

This wasn't the type of chill she ever came across in Wutai. This was the type of chill that set in your bones, the kind that only the flames in the fireplace could take away. In fact, this kind of cold was par with the ones she experienced at Bone Village and that place was as cold as it gets.

It was cold but…

Yuffie blinked open her gray eyes.

She was alive.

She looked around, eyes darting from corner to corner until she realized she was inside the tent. Her eyes ran over the lamp beside her, the blankets on top of her, and everything else her savior pushed to the side. She caught sight of her arm guard and, surprisingly, her shirt in the pile of stuff that consisted largely of the stuff he must have dumped out of her pack.

Now that she knew where she was, she reached down and pulled back the blankets he must have placed on her. The first thing she saw of course was bandages. Stained strips of white covered not only what was left of her arm but also her torso. Though she was curious to what happened to her chest, her arm was what worried her the most.

It was gone.

It wasn't something that she could just replace like a lost glove and a replacement would never match up to the original. Her arm, the same one she was born with was gone forever along with the weapon she cowered behind.

To live she gave up her best weapon and her arm but, without them, she was useless. In essence, she was already dead. Without her arm, she wasn't the same person she used to be and she couldn't do the things she used to do.

She was useless.

Yuffie groaned as she sat up, her back aching and her body protesting as sore muscles moved. She laid back down, her stomach deciding to grumble as her head met the makeshift pillow. She couldn't remember the last thing she ate but she was too tired to check if there was any food.

"I bet he's angry at me…"

This was all her fault.

Obviously, he didn't want her to come and she did anyway even when he tried to send her away. He didn't need her help, seeing him fight in tandem with the summon proved that much but she wanted to be there. She wanted to help him.

Instead of helping him, she became a burden.

Like she always did.

Yuffie sighed, her spent breath visible the moment she let it go. She shivered as she tried to think of something else only to find her eyes resting on the bandaged stump of her arm. Idly, she noted that more of it was missing than before and it was only then that she could recall that the injury she sustained wasn't as… clean as it was now.

Though she was horrified beyond belief, she had the mettle to look down at it after she saw Cloud's reaction. It looked like her arm was chewed off and the thought, the memory of her trying to lift something that wasn't there anymore made her nauseous thanks to what she saw when she did.

Cloud…

She pictured the man amputating her with a pained expression, mulling over the fact that he was going to lose her like he lost… her. Aeris. The woman that made him break down and cry when he thought he was alone but she heard it, everyone heard it. That was why no one mentioned her anymore. It wasn't because they disliked the flower girl or anything like that. They just came to the silent understanding that the subject was taboo, especially when the spiky blonde was around.

Who was she kidding though?

She was not Aeris.

Everyone liked her. She was pretty and kind, delicate and soft spoken. When all hoped seemed lost she was always there with the words they needed to keep going forward and when things were going well she was just as happy as everyone else. Everyone was sad she was taken from them.

No one would cry if she died.

Cloud was kind enough to spill some tears but that was only because he felt he failed as a leader when he most certainly did not. Did he forget how angry he was when she stole his material and ran, the joke she meant the play on the party quickly became something more serious than she intended for it to be. She knew that none of them exactly trusted her before but, after that, they always kept their eyes on her every time she came close to things like equipment and materia.

After all, she was just a materia thief.

Yuffie grinned as her stomach rumbled again, hunger tugging at her smile as she stared at the opening of the tent. No wonder she was laughing when Cloud found her. She wasn't a materia thief anymore. She wasn't anything anymore.

Except useless.

They had a reason to throw her out now, a reason to abandon her. The same people that fought at her side, the same people she traveled with were nothing more than associates at best. They called each other comrades, masquerading like they were friends when they were anything but. She was always an outsider, some nuisance they didn't really need at all.

"Maybe I should have stayed in Wutai…"

"Y-Yuffie…?" Cloud rushed into the tent and threw the blankets he carried down on the ground before rushing to her side. "Thank God… I was beginning to think you would never wake up." He looked exhausted but happy, his lines around his eyes highlighting the strain to keep them open but his smile was something he didn't have to force.

"Huh?" She raised an eyebrow. "How long was I out?"

"Four days…" He whispered, his sword clattering to the floor as he cast it aside, "How are you feeling?"

"Four days!?" She yelled, surprise overwhelming her as she stared at him, "Why didn't you go back to the Highwind!?"

"I can't leave you alone…" He sighed, the fact that he already did making him feel like a hypocrite as he rubbed a gloved hand in his hair. "I don't know how long it would take to find them and," there was something about the way he looked at her that made the chill in the air fill just that much colder, "I don't think you can make it back across the desert."

So, in addition to being hurt, she somehow managed to trap him here with her. It was another step back, another mistake on her part that troubled someone else. It was ridiculous how quickly things turned against her when all she tried to do was help.

"I'm glad you're not in a coma or anything but you had a really high fever." Cloud walked over to retrieve the pack of things he threw down with the blankets, "I was scared you had an infection at first but… I'm just glad you're awake." He finished lamely, pulling materia out of his pocket as his spoke.

"Is that some new material?" She asked, ever curious to see new magic and effects but her curiosity died upon seeing the roll of bandages he fished out of his pocket as well.

"Yeah," Cloud murmured, shrugging off the question as he stared at the material he held but she missed the look on his face seeing that she turned away the moment she saw the bandages.

"Do…" She gulped, the sound audible in the quiet tent as her companion kneeled beside the lamp. "Do you have to do that now?"

"Yeah…" He said it again, his attention snatched from the jade orb as he nodded to the blushing girl, "Just let me change your bandages. I promise I won't look any longer than I have to."

He reached a slow hand up to her chest but both of them hesitated for a brief moment until he finally grabbed the end of the strip. With the aid of the lamp, he slowly pulled back each strip, some stained, until her body was exposed.

Once he was finished, the girl brought her forearm in front of chest to protect her modesty, "You promised…" She whispered, as she clumsily shielded her breasts from his eyes.

This drew a blush from the man tending to her, his cheeks warming as he looked at the girl in a new light. The arrogant ninja in front of him was reduced to a blushing girl trying her best to stop him from seeing something he already promised he wouldn't look at but his eyes never dropped lower than her face.

She was cute.

She turned away from his scrutiny, staring at him out the corner of her smoky gray eyes even though she was pretending to look away. His eyes dropped from her hair and even her face as he looked down at naked skin. He saw what she sought to hide as his eyes traced her thin body but something in the back of his mind clicked as he realized something that he never noticed before.

She wasn't just cute…

"C-Cloud…!"

Yuffie was flustered, a deep shade of pink crossing her face as her voice stole him from his musings. She felt so uncomfortable that she was starting to squirm but he found that he couldn't look away until he finally recalled that he was breaking his promise.

"Stop…" She started, her tone softening as he remembered what he was doing and looked away so fast that he almost hurt himself. "Stop staring…"

She was beautiful.

"S-Sorry…"

He felt just as awkward as he pull the roll out of his lap and quickly started to wrap them around the girl after casting another cure spell. Before long, he was finished but he wasn't worry about the gashes in her side nearly as much as he was worried about her arm.

Anyone could provide first aid but she needed to see a doctor, and she needed to see one soon. With that in mind, he pull back another line of bandages with as much patience as he could muster while the girl bit down on her lip all the while. Strip by bloody strip came off and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when he finished the process.

"I had to…" Cloud cleared his throat as he stared at her wound much the same way she did, "I had to cut some of it off so I could properly bandage it."

The mood change, the embarrassment experienced before leaving the tent with the same wind that seemed to usher in something far more somber. He was hurt, visibly shaken now that he looked down at his handiwork. It was a smooth cut but…

He amputated her.

"Hey, I'm alright…" She smiled at him, trying to loosen him up but that miserable look remained until he forced it away and made eye contact with her.

"Listen to me Yuffie." He was serious, the way his hand gripped her shoulder keeping her in place like she was going to run away the moment he shared what he had to say, "I… You…" He paused long enough to collect his thoughts. "This is going to hurt a lot but I'm here." The materia he held gleamed in what little light the lamp provided. "I just need you to be ready for it."

Yuffie did a double take, her eyes darting from the man to the materia he must have recently purchased, "Oh shit…" She cursed before locking eyes with him again, "Don't tell me that is-"

He shrugged off his shoulder guard and paid no heed to where it landed on the ground, "I'm going to hold you okay?"

"Okay…"

She allowed the swordsman to take her into his arms. Though it wasn't meant to be a hug, she turned it into one when she wrapped her arm around his frame and squeezed herself against him. He pulled her closed and she braced herself, "Ready?"

She nodded and so did he.

"Fire."

The orb followed the command and a flame came to life. Within moments, what was left of her arm was on fire. Flames danced on the flesh, razing and cauterizing it all at the same time but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Just a little more…" He whispered, his voice feeling like gasoline when he wanted him to put it out now. She squeezed her eyes shut but unwanted tears stared their journey no matter how hard she tried to hold them back. Her fingernails dug into his shirt as she grasped it in an effort to tell him to stop since it hurt too much to talk.

Then it was over.

Just like that, doused the flames and wrapped the bandages around her so fast it looked like he was playing with a ribbon as opposed to tending to someone. He ripped away the excess and gently laid her back down. Her back met the blanket and she pushed away the pillow he made so she could lay flat on the ground.

She was sweating and still somewhat dizzy but she could manage a smile, "I…" The ninja brought her hand up to wipe away the tears, "I can tell you like your meat well done."

It was a joke.

Her sense of humor was just one of the weapons she employed to fend off the sad things that lurked in the back of minds, the depressing thoughts that sunk to the bottom of hearts. If people laughed then they could be happy and, right now, she wanted him to be happy.

He didn't laugh.

"That… That's not funny Yuffie." Cloud remarked as he reached into a bad and produced some bread and a bottle of water, "I should have did it while you were unconscious."

She decided to change the subject with a question she meant to ask earlier as he returned to her side, "Where did you go? You… You weren't here when I woke up."

"I climbed the mountains to find out exactly where we were and got really lucky. North Coral is right over there on the other side of the range," He held up his hand and pointed in the direction he walked even though she couldn't see anything other than the tent around them, "They didn't have much but I got as much as I could carry."

"Cloud," She warmly accepted the loaf of bread he handed her, "Thanks for, you know… Thanks for going this far for me."

He watched her eat for a minute before crawling towards the blankets and dragging them towards the girl, "You don't have to thank me for something like that Yuffie. I would do it for anyone."

She was glad to hear him say that but, at the same time, she couldn't have felt any more distant. If he would do the same for anyone then what did that say about her? It was an unintentional blow to her spirit but she took it in stride as she continued to eat.

"I know it s late but," Cloud finished what little he did eat and reached for the water, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for knocking you out and getting you caught up in this."

"I chose to come." Yuffie replied as she chewed the bread, "You don't have to apologize to me for something like that Cloud." She said, mimicking his voice after she swallowed the food.

He laughed, the chuckle easily turning into a laugh that made both of them feel better. She joined him in his amusement and both of them laughed, the sight of the other being touched by amusement adding to their own as the laughter filled the tent.

It wasn't that funny and, in the back of her mind, she knew that they were only laughing for each others sake. Morale was important, vital in a situation as grim as this but the way Cloud grabbed at his sides made it clear that he wasn't faking.

He was genuinely amused, delight mingling with the deep blue of his eyes as he threw his head back and laughed hard enough to produce tears. In the darkest of nights in the middle of nowhere with a girl that was keeping him here, he was laughing his heart out.

Just like that, she forgot…

Yuffie forgot that she wouldn't be able to fight anymore and she never thought to think that this could be one of last days alive. The things that mad them sad seemed to disappear like it was ushered away by the chill in the air.

"Haha," She rubbed the tears out of her eyes with the back of her hand, "I haven't seen you laugh like that since Aeris-"

His laughter died, his eyes widening in shock as she encroached on something that would never make him laugh. She immediately dropped the bread and what was left of the loaf fell into her lap as she motioned to apologized, "I'm…"

"It's alright," He laughed in an effort to play it off like it didn't bother him but she knew him well enough to see the raw emotion in his eyes, "I'm alright now. I got over-"

"Cloud," the ninja got his attention when she reached out and touched him, "You don't have to lie and," she brought her finger up to his lips, "I don't care what you think about it. I know you tried your best, you know you tried your best, and I think she does, too."

Things like that were easy to say.

Words were just words. People tried to comfort each other using them and tried to hurt each other using them but, at the end of the day, it was just a way to communicate. Words couldn't stop a sword from going through your chest and words definitely didn't stop him from remembering how he just stood there and watched it happened.

Words would never make him feel better.

"Don't try to make me look like the good guy…" Cloud mumbled as he looked down at the hand she placed on top of his, "I always mess up when people need me the most. I… Why…"

He trailed off, hopelessly hurt now that he gave a voice to the insecurities he never wanted to be known but the girl who accepted them said nothing. She rubbed the hand that was under hers just to let him know that she was here, just to let him know that she would listen to anything he had to say.

So he continued.

"It wasn't just Aeris." Cloud admitted, after a long minute, "Zack, Jessica, my mother… I kept telling myself that I couldn't do anything but when he murdered I was right there. I was right there and I didn't do anything."

"Cloud…"

"She said she loved me."

"Did…" She was slow to pose the question thanks to how he trembled but she had to know, "Did you love her?"

He shook his head too fast for her liking, "I never got the chance to know if I did or not but she loved everyone. That's the kind of person she was but I-"

"Don't be so quick to say things like that." She squeezed his hand and he looked up at her, "You can't keep thinking like that or you'll really be no good. Wait, I didn't mean that… I…"

His hand slid from under hers but he offered her a weak smile as he nodded in understanding, "I know what you mean." He stood up and walked over to close the opening to the tent and ended up grabbing everything he cast aside when he heard her sneeze. "I'm just a natural pessimist I guess…"

"I thought you were more- Wait, you got all of that stuff for me? Cloud… I-"

He kneeled to fix her pillow before he unfolded her blankets. Carefully, he pulled a few of the heavy blankets over the girl, "Just rest. If you feel better tomorrow then I'll see what I can do about getting us out of here."

He stood, reaching for his shoulder guard and sword before he arrived at the opening of the tent, "I'll be back soon. Turn off the lamp if it keeps you from-"

"Huh?" Yuffie glared at him, "What do you mean you'll be back soon? Where are you going?"

"I have to go and stand watch." He put his shoulder guard back on before sticking his head outside to tent to take a look around, "I have to stop anything that comes looking for something to eat."

"Do you really have to do that? You…" She found herself turning away as he looked at her, "You look so tired."

"Well, I don't really have a choice. There's a lot of stuff out that there that could eat us you know." He looked down in thought for a moment before turning around and putting down his sword down, "Now that you mention it, I don't necessarily have to be outside to hear something coming."

"You should come and sleep with me then."

Cloud chocked on the piece of bread he helped himself to and she felt her cheeks burning as a blush conquered her face. He beat on his chest in an effort to expel the food stuck in his throat and somehow managed to do so, "E-Excuse me?"

"Don't be stupid!!" Yuffie roared as she slammed her fist down on the stack of blankets, "You know I don't mean like that!"

With his face still flushed with color, he closed the distance between them, "Are you sure about this? I mean I could always just-"

"C'mon Cloud, I'm not going to bite you or anything and I'm too sleepy to be arguing."

"A-Alright…"

With a moment of hesitation, he pulled the blankets back and slid under them. She made some room for him by scooting to the side and he in turn kept as much distance between them as possible.

He became more aware of how close he was to her when she turned on her side, staring at him like she didn't know that he could see her out of the corner of his eye. He felt like he was under scrutiny thanks to way she silently studied his profile and indeed he was.

She openly started at him only to be surprised when he rolled on his side to face her. They made eye contact and kept it, murky gray meeting the same aqua blue that watched over her for days. She didn't notice it before but she could smell the mako that was infused with him. It was the same energy that gave his eyes that unnatural glow that intimidated so many people that didn't really know him.

Truth be told, she didn't think he had an intimidating bone in his body. The scariest thing about Cloud was that he could wave around a sword nearly taller than he was but that was it. He was never menacing and he really only pretended to be if he had to. Other than that, he was a pretty quiet guy who usually kept to himself. That didn't mean he couldn't be an ass though but, when there were no prying eyes around, he could be the kindest person she knew.

Still, it was only now that she really looked at him that she understood a part of him that he never shared before and for a good reason. He was fragile. She always had an inking that he wasn't the fearless leader everyone wanted him to be but to see Cloud, the same man who swore to defeat Weapons and take down Sephiroth, reduced to tears for her sake made things way more obvious than she would have liked them to be.

Yet, in those eyes she saw a reflection of herself. She too was never as strong as she said she was but she never cared who saw her cry. She would cry if she felt like crying while he would try to hide it and pretend like everything was alright.

He was like her, but at the same time, he was so different.

"I'm…" Cloud cleared his throat, lowering his eyes to the pillow between them as he spoke. "I'm sorry about your arm. I went back into the desert to look for it but I couldn't find it."

She smiled thought the thought of him running across the desert to look for something she lost touched her like nothing else ever did before. "You have to stop apologizing so much. It doesn't suit you."

"I'm serious Yuffie." He sighed. "I know saying stuff like sorry won't help anything but I don't know what else to say. I don't know how I can even make it up to you…"

"Just don't throw me out…"

More than anything she didn't want to go home like this. The thought of being sent away was one far more disturbing than having to be a back row warrior. She probably couldn't fight anymore but she didn't want to be a disgrace. She wanted to stay with them as long as she possibly could.

"N-Never!!" He blinked, unintentionally raising his voice as his eyes snapped back to her face, "I wouldn't do that to you! Fighting isn't the only way you can help Yuffie."

"I want to help fight though." She looked in straight in the eye, "That's what I always wanted to do."

"Okay…"

He said it before he could change his mind.

If he could, he would let the girl do whatever she wanted to do but reality was never kind. Fighting was dangerous and the things they fought rarely if ever knew what mercy was. Easy prey was easy prey and without her arm she was most certainly…

She kissed him.

Yuffie pulled back only to see if he was angry only to find him in a daze brought on by nothing more than the fact she did something like that so she did it again. Sure that he wasn't angry, she flicked out her tongue and parted his lips. Access was granted and she took it.

They tasted each other and, before he could realize exactly what just happened, it was over. She licked her lips after breaking this kiss, the distance between them little to none now that she close enough that he could feel her breath on his face.

"I… We…" He never turned away but he was visibly uncomfortable as he fumbled with his words. "Why?"

"I don't know." She told the truth and caused him to sink even further into confusion, "It just felt right."

She was impulsive.

She did what she wanted to do and didn't care if it didn't make sense to other people. Just because she was a girl didn't mean she couldn't fight and just because she was young didn't mean she could understand things she wasn't meant to comprehend. That was the reason she never really had friends before. People her age were dumb and people older than her pegged her as impudent.

That was why she separated herself from others and was content with being alone but he was just like her. She could tell that he was the same. He would be able to understand her the way no one else tried to before.

To say that he never thought about her like that wouldn't exactly be a lie but he could honesty admit to not having any special feelings for her until now. Carefully, he edged away from her before she grabbed him.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"No, not really…" He looked down at the hand on top of his arm, "It was just really sudden that's all."

"That's how I feel and," She couldn't help blushing as her hand trailed down her arm and took hold of his hand, "It's a thank you."

He responded to her smile with one of her own, "You could have just said it." He said dryly, smirking as she frowned at him.

"It wouldn't have been fun that way though," Her frown melted away as she moved closed to him, taking comfort in the warmth he provided, "It was your first kiss right?"

"Yeah," He blinked upon realizing that it really was the first time, "It was…"

She smiled, "I'm glad you liked it then."

It secretly amazed her he was so shy when it came to things like that but his blushing face had to be one of the cutest things she ever saw in her life. He bowed his head, his light blue eyes sneaking looks at her through his blonde locks before he spoke.

"You're welcome."

With that, she fell asleep and he watched her get the rest she needed. She slept with a smile and he eased his arm from under her as he slipped from under the blankets and reached for the materia he kept at her side.

He cured her before getting up and reaching for his sword.

"Please don't die on me Yuffie…"

He knew it was selfish to say something like that. If she had any say in rather she died or not they wouldn't even be in this situation but he sincerely hoped that she could hold out until he found them some help.

The girl coughed in her sleep and curled into a ball. Quietly, he pulled the blankets up to her chin before standing up to go on watch.

"Cloud…"

Caught, he turned back around with the intent of apologizing until he realized she was still sleep. She was still smiling though she had a little droll on the side of her mouth. He grinned at the sight before walking out into the night.

Yuffie opened her eyes and watched the man leave, the sound of his footsteps becoming distant as he walked away from the tent ready to stop anything that dared come close enough to wake her up even though she wasn't sleep.

She coughed again.

"I won't…"

0

She woke up sweating and with something too bad to be called a headache. It felt like her brain was trying to push her eyeballs out. It felt like something inside her head was trying to split her in half and was close to doing so. She clutched her head and shook as the pain became unbearable but…

"Yuffie, calm down…" Cloud whispered as turned one of water bottles upside down and drenched the rag he held. "It's going to be alright. I'm right here."

He was with her.

"I need you to take this medicine for me alright?" She could feel his hand, his actual palm finding a place in the middle of her back as he helped her sit up, "It won't break your fever but it should-"

"God… My head… It hurts…" She knew she was crying but she didn't care, nothing ever hurt this bad. "I… Time… Long… What…"

"Yuffie…"

He reached for the medicine and raised it to her lips. Slowly, he poured the stuff into her mouth. She drunk most of it though some of it spilled out. He didn't know what she was trying to ask him but she made it perfectly clear that she didn't feel good at all.

Patiently, he held the girl hoping that she would lose consciousness again soon so she wouldn't have to go through this and she did.

0

"Ugh…"

She sat up feeling so much better than she did before but the nightmare that woke her wasn't pleasant at all. Even though she could barely remember what exactly transpired in the nightmare, she could faintly remember that she was alone. She baked under the desert sun all by herself until she finally died.

It was creepy.

If she had to die, then she didn't want to be alone when it happened.

The same sun that assaulted her in her nightmare allowed its light to enter the tent as she stretched. This place was the same every day. It was so hot during the day that she wouldn't have been surprised if the water in the bottles started to boil but, at night, it was so cold that she forgot how close they was to the desert.

She rolled out of the makeshift bed and groaned as she stood up for felt like the first time in weeks. She slid her foot across the floor only to find herself falling, the fact that she hadn't actually walked in a while coming to mind a little too late as she braced herself.

The impact she was expecting never came and she opened one of her eyes to find herself in the arms of the man who took care of her.

She was surprised that she didn't notice he was there but what stunned her was the fact that he was clearly still sleep. He yawned as he slowly opened his eyes, "Yuffie…?" His voice sounded scratchy, like he went too long without saying anything, "Your fever is gone?"

"Fever? What are you talking about?" She slid out of his grasp and looked him up and down. "Either way, you don't look so hot Cloud…"

He was kind of skinny before but he never looked that thin and he had bags under his eyes when she woke up the first time. Still, she never saw him look like that. He was looking directly at her but he was still sleep.

"Cloud?" He blinked before quickly looking around. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you but how… how long was I sleep?"

"We have to leave. Now." He ignored her question before grabbing his sword and standing up. Bandages and materia fell out of lap as he stood but he didn't care, "Too many monsters are coming now. We have to leave the tent before something big comes."

"Tell me how long I was sleep first!"

"Yuffie," His tired eyes landed on her. "Please… Get something to eat and put on your clothes." He looked around for anything they couldn't leave behind, "After that, grab all the materia you can hold and then we'll leave."

"Cloud wait!"

He ignored her as he headed out of the tent until she grabbed his shoulder. He reacted instantly, his half closed eyes snapping open as he spun around with the intent to kill flashing in his eyes until he realized who he was about to strike. He willed his sword to stop inches away from her neck and tumbled to the ground thanks to the wasted momentum.

Even Cloud had his limits…

She stared at him, her mouth gaped open in shock as he slowly got back to his feet.

"I'm sorry… I didn't-"

"It's okay," he huffed out now that he stood at his full height again, "Forget about it. Get on my back."

"Huh…?" Was he going delirious? "Did you just say get on your back?"

"Yeah," Cloud kneeled in down in front of her, "Get on."

"Are you crazy?" She pointed at the lamp he broken when he fell. "You can barely walk straight?"

"Please Yuffie…" He looked down at the lamp and frowned. "Just trust me."

She couldn't refuse after he put it like that. A long arm wrapped around his neck and her chest pressed into his back. As she wrapped her legs around his waist, she was sure they were going to fall to the ground until he quickly stood up and left the tent.

The landscape was just like she pictured it. The desert continued on for miles, hills of bade that went on and on until they met the stark blue at the horizon. What she didn't expect were all the dead monsters that literally piled up not far from the tent. It was amazing she didn't smell it before she saw it but she decided not to dwell on it as Cloud lifted a hand and pointed straight ahead.

"Costa Del Sol… That's where we are going." The gasp he heard honestly didn't surprise him, "There has to be a doctor there who can treat you."

"Cloud…"

She held on even tighter, squeezing herself against him as he took the first step of many. He took step after step before he started to run as fast as he possibly could. With nothing but the hazy view of the horizon taunting them in the distance, he ran like lightning was behind him.

He ran faster than a chocobo, the sand filled wind that lashed her face caused her to bow her head until she heard something behind them. A pack of gigantic worms turned their attention to the pair and she could feel her mouth going dry as they decided to give chase, "C-Cloud! Those-"

"I hear them!" He decided to use some of the materia he brought and the Deathblow material cast a brilliant glow on his face as he attacked the first one that sought to eat them. He sliced its head clean off and dashed towards the body that was quickly falling back to the earth. He ran on top of it and jumped off, launching them into the air as the other two Land Worms dived into the sand under them, "Hang on Yuffie!!"

The mounds of sand under them started to break up thanks to the earthquake the monsters caused but neither he nor Yuffie took that into account as they soared through the air. She squeezed her arm around his neck and her legs got that much tighter around his waist as they glided. It would have felt peaceful if not for the monsters that waited under them with their mouths wide open.

This time her life flashed before her eyes as they started their descent.

Her mother was a gentle person… She could remember how she would lift her in the air and laugh when she made baby noises. Cloud found it pretty funny too when- She stopped thinking the moment the spiky blonde entered her thoughts. She shook her head, freeing herself from any delusions she had and realized he was saying something.

"Yuffie!! You have to make me angry!"

They were going to fall right into a Land Worm's mouth and he needed something to make him angry!? Oh, she would make him angry alright. "Cloud!! I swear on my life that if you don't do something right now that I'll kill you before the worm eats us!!" She stared at the circular rows of sharp teeth that lined the opening of the thing's mouth and started praying as fast as she could.

Cloud laughed in spite of himself, she didn't quite make him furious but that was good enough.

"Meteorain!!" He yelled as he started spinning his sword. Large chunks of rocks materialized and rained down on top of the worm, some of them landing right in its mouth.

Cloud jumped from one rock to the other until they finally landed back on the ground, the battered monster behind them falling as he somehow kept his balance good enough to maintain the kind of speed he had before they took to the air. Yuffie bowed her head as they ran directly into the sandstorm the last worm summoned. Neither of them could see it but they could easily hear the monster thrashing about as it slithered across the sand faster than he ran but he was ready for it.

"Cloud!!" She yelled as the monster bounced off the ground and opened its mouth to devour them.

He was past his limit already so…

"Finishing touch."

It was useless to hold back now.

He summoned a tornado that overwhelmed the sandstorm and pulled the worm into the air. Cloud held his breath, running with his sword at the ready just in case the monster dropped back down so he couldn't help but sigh in relief when it didn't.

The tornado died out and the girl he carried felt like kissing him. "Oh my God… I swear I love you Cloud!" She poured her gratitude on him as she squeezed him with the arm she had around his neck. "I love you so much!"

"Never thought you'd say something like that…" He said, picking up the pace as he neglected to tell her he didn't have the strength to swing his sword anymore. If they encountered another monster, he would just have to hope he was fast enough to avoid it.

It wasn't until he realized he couldn't use his sword anymore that it dawned on him that he couldn't feel his legs either. He was still running. He knew that much but it just felt like he was floating. The only thing he could feel aside from the heat was how his lungs burned. He would have been alright if he did this a week ago but he was dead tired and this was seriously killing him.

The girl on his back never would have noticed thanks to the speed at which he ran. He was faster than any chocobo she ever rode but the idle thought of a Cloud chocobo left her mind when she looked behind her.

One of the worms they encountered before was coming after them, the rocks that were stuck in it reminding her that it was the one that he just knocked out. She turned to tell him they were being chased only to find him holding up some material. "Yuffie, I need you to use this. I… can't."

She took the red orb from him and shut her eyes in concentration.

As Cloud ran forward, a moogle riding a chocobo sped passed them in the opposite direction. Yuffie couldn't help but chuckle as the moogle stood on top of its mount and gave them a salute. Dropping its hand, the moogle turned its attention back to the monster and bravely pointed at it.

The collision was terrible and she cringed at the sound of it. Turning back around, she was pleasantly surprised to see something other than sand. He did it again…

Cloud tripped and landed hard on the ground. Yuffie rolled off his back and skidded across the sand like she had been knocked off a motorcycle. The ninja signed before rolling on her back. "Cloud, are you alright?"

She saw him trying to get back up only to fall back down. Like her, he finally gave up and was content with just getting his face off of the sand, "Yeah, I'm alright and… I'm sorry."

"For what?" She smiled. "Feeling me up?"

He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, "You can still talk like that even at a time like this?"

"Yup," She shielded her eyes from the sun, "It's because it is like this that I have to say stuff like that."

Cloud turned towards the girl he shared his first kiss with, "Did you really mean that Yuffie?"

She didn't have to ask him what she was talking about. She clearly remembered what she blurted out but she meant what she said regardless, "I did…" She started, turning to look at him as she thought about it. "At least I think I did…"

Before all of this happened, she never thought about things like this because she never needed to. People never liked her before so things like love never crossed her mind until now. She wasn't sure if what she felt was really the type of love that people wrote about in stories and the like but it was love all the same.

He smiled, his eyes lighting up as decided to share his feelings with her. "I think I love you, too."

"Cloud… You don't-"

The blonde shook his head. "I'm not just saying it to make you feel better or anything. I mean it Yuffie."

She stared at him for a long time before looking up at the cloudless sky. "The real reason I wanted materia was just so I could go back home and kick my father's ass. Restore the pride of my country? Haha, what a joke."

"I think Vincent saw it but I made a mistake and dropped my sword on Cait Sith once." He chuckled upon remembering how much he apologized to Reeve, "I can't remember if that was the forth or fifth though…"

"Was it really a mistake?"

"Yeah, but he kind of deserved for giving me a stupid fortune."

She laughed, the fact that Cait Sith always gave her stupid fortunes having a role to play in her amusement and he joined her in laughter as the sun gave them no mercy. All too quickly, she found herself wishing that she could spend more time with him but this was really it.

"Can't believe it…" Yuffie sighed. "I always thought that it would be one of the Turks that did me in but this is really pathetic. Hey Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"Let me have all your material."

"Sure," He cracked a smile. "You have to kiss me first though."

She thought to say that she was too tired to make it over there but he knew that much already. The girl reached into her pocket and, with the last of her strength, threw a blue ball of materia at him only to see it fall short of her target.

"You missed…" He pointed out as the materia rolled to a stop next to him.

"I wasn't trying to hit you idiot." She watched him grab the materia and hold it up, "I mastered it so it should keep you safe long enough for someone to find you… I should have used it earlier but I don't a weapon or anything to put it in."

"Yuffie…"

It was Enemy Away.

Weakly, he put the materia into one of the empty slots of his sword and pushed it towards her. Ultima weapon slid across the sand and the hilt hit her hard enough in the side to hurt. He watched her shake her fist at him with a smile until he passed out.

"Cloud…"

This was it for her.

Just like in her nightmare, she was going to die before realizing any dream she ever had but she was happy she wasn't alone. She beamed, happy that at least he would be able to make it. Cloud was strong. After he rested for a couple of hours, he'd get up and wouldn't have any problems finding the airship.

He would be able to make it without her.

Just like that, she resigned herself to the truth she accepted a long time ago. It wasn't that dying scared her. It terrified her. The thought of dying, especially now that someone loved her, scared her to the point that she couldn't think about anything else.

She didn't want to die.

More than anything, she didn't want to die but there was nothing she could do. If it wasn't for Cloud she would have died in this same desert a long time ago.

Her only comfort was that she wasn't alone. Even though he was unconscious, he was right there. She looked at him through her tears and watched his chest rise and fall with every breath. He was going to be alright. He would be able to find someone else.

Yuffie held onto his sword but she couldn't help but keep crying as she gradually became more and more tired. She forced her eyes open in an lacking effort to stay away and every conscious thought donating to doing so became fleeting.

It was her time to go.

0

"Well, damn… Slap a gunarm on her and I bet she'll kick more ass than he does."

"You betta watch who ya talkin' to cuz I bet I could whoop yo ass."

"Uh…" She rubbed her face as the voices she heard started to register in her mind.

"Be quiet you two! She's starting to wake up!"

Yuffie opened her eyes and flicked them across the faces of the people crowded around her bed. Tifa cleared her throat, drawing the attention of everyone in the room as her scarlet eyes started down at the injured girl. "Good morning." She said evenly, though she was clearly worried.

"Uh…" The ninja sat up and looked around. "Good morning?"

Tifa circled the bed and placed a hand on top of hers. "How do you feel?"

She looked around the room and figured that she was in an inn. With an exception or two, everyone was here. She could spot Red XIII staring at her from the corner. Barret and Cid stood on the other side of the bed, both of them looking like they wanted to say something but failing to come up with the words. That was it though.

"I'm alright," She took another look around the room. "Where is everyone?"

"Vincent and Reeve went to look for your weapon." Tifa sat down on the bed as Red silently left the room now that he knew how she was faring, "He left you one of his guns just in case-"

"They didn't have to do that…" Yuffie rubbed her temple as she started to feel a headache coming on. "And I'm not a big fan of guns. I'll thank him later but… um… what happened?"

At that, Cid took the cigar out of his mouth and caught a not so friendly look from Tifa as he blew out a cloud of smoke. "I'm looking all over the damn desert for sight of your scrawny ass and then I came back here so I could use the Highwind to look for you."

In spite of his colorful language, the man smiled as he told his story. Ash fell from the tip of his cigar as he waved his hands around depicting how they went back and forth, "So, about eleven days in. "I'm on the deck wondering what happened to you two and I throw my cigarette overboard." He put his cigar back in his mouth and took a puff from it. "Then, if you can believe it, I see some blue and green specks right next to each other. A damn miracle I tell ya."

Finishing his story with a broad smile, Yuffie almost laughed at the thought that his habit of smoking saved their lives. However, it was at that time that she realized someone was still missing. "Where's Cloud?"

The look on Cid's face soured and the cigar fell out of his mouth. "That idiot!? Knocking me out so he could fight by himself? What the hell happened to just asking people stuff? I should have beat his-"

"He's right there…" Tifa whispered, cutting off Cid before he could go into detail how angry he was when he woke up alone in the middle of the desert. The brunette pointed at the foot of the bed and it was only then that she could see the blonde tips of his hair.

"Well," Cid sighed before he bent at the waist and picked up the cigar, "I just wanted to see how you were doing kid. Got to get back to the crew before things get too crazy."

With that, Barret took his spot at her bedside. "I best to be leavin' too then. I can get sumthin' done to ya arm if ya want me to."

Yuffie shook her head, "I'm good. Thanks for the offer though."

The men followed Red's example and left the room after they was sure the girl was alright. The woman that was left couldn't help but sighed. "I'm sorry about those two. I know they mean well and everything but you know how they are."

"Ha, I'm just glad Cid saw us…"

"We all should have gone to fight it…" Tifa stood. "I had a feeling he would be reckless but I never thought he would have tried to fight it alone."

"Don't worry about it." Yuffie gave her a thumbs up. "We beat the thing after all."

The brunette smiled before pulling the sheets up to the girl's neck. "You two really scared us you know. The doctor said kept telling me things I didn't really understand but he made it really clear that you almost died. He praised Cloud's first aid a whole lot though."

"Yeah," The girl laid back down and rested her head on the pillow, "He saved me."

"I know." Tifa looked down at the floorboards and shuffled her feet around, "It's just that he almost died taking care of you…"

It didn't come as a surprise that he would go that far. She always knew that he would do something like this if his friends were in trouble but, now, she had a horrifying example of it. She couldn't help but ponder what would have happened if she switched places with the girl. Would he have done the same for her?

"He would have done it for anyone." Yuffie said as she looked at the ceiling, unintentionally answering the question that Tifa never asked.

"That really sounds like something he would say but I'll let you get your rest now."

"Wait Tifa," Yuffie waited for the fighter to turn around until she posed her question, "Can you tell them to comeback… I don't need my weapon anymore."

It looked like she wanted to tell her otherwise but nodded all the same, "Sure… We're going to be here for a while so don't try rushing yourself on account of us alright?"

The door was closed before she could say anything and Yuffie smiled as she pulled back the sheets. Cloud did exactly what he said he would do. They made it to Costa Del Sol and her nightmare remained the dream that it was.

Everybody cared.

Even though it took something like this to make her realize it, she could see it on their faces and searching the desert for something that probably wasn't even there could attest to how Vincent and Cait Sith felt about her.

They cared but there weren't many people that loved her.

With her eyes locked on tips of blonde, the gears in her mischievous mind started to turn and her plan was in motion. She brought her legs to the edge of the bed and got up with mischief carried in the smirk on her face. Carefully, she took a few steps to test her balance and crept towards the end of the bed where her savior slept.

Peeking at the closed door, she tiptoed towards Cloud and barely held back a laugh at the look on his face. He looked way too happy, like he had fallen asleep mid-laugh. For a moment, she just stood there snickering until she reached for his pocket and the magical orbs inside, "A dead is a deal…"

Cloud kissed her, his lips coming into contact with her cheek as he briefly opened his eyes and looked up at her. He found himself chuckling at the look on her face, "Yeah, it is you materia thief."

"You idiot!" She dabbed at her eyes with her wrist before diving on top of him, "Don't pretend to be sleep with such a stupid look on your face."

He ruffled her hair as she buried her head in his chest, "Don't try to wake me up under the pretext of stealing then…"

"Cloud, I…" She clumsily embraced him inside the rented room, "I was so scared that I'd never see you again. I thought I was going to die."

He yawned before pulling her closer to him, "I can't do anything about what already happened but if you still feel like staying with me then I'll do my best."

"I want to help you fight but," She paused before looking him in the eyes, "I don't want to be a burden or anything."

"You'll never be a burden Yuffie…" He blushed as he adverted his eyes, "You're my g-girlfriend."

With no reply from the girl, he found himself falling asleep until she got up and turned the lock on the door. Sleepy eyes opened once more as she tugged on his arm, "C'mon Cloud, let's go to sleep."

"Ah…" He slowly shook his head, "I'm alright right-"

"I don't think we're going to be able to sleep with each other that much after we leave and don't look at me like that." She smiled at him as she pulled him to his feet and him to the bed, "You're my boyfriend now... and you know what I mean."

Nodding, he kicked off his boots climbed on top of the covers to rest on a bed for the first time in weeks and his girlfriend joined him. Almost instantly, he fell asleep and she watched him knowing that, at least for now, everything was going to be alright.

"Wait… Where's my Enemy Away?"

-Fin

Author's Note: It sounds kind of messed up considering it is only a one shot but this story has the most favorites out of everything I've written so I decided to rewrite it. I was thinking of continuing this for another chapter or two a while back but it is fine like this. I'll leave the original, the next chapter, just in case anyone prefers that version.

Thanks for reading everyone.

CF


	2. Original

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters. All rights reserved by SquareEnix.

Backstep

To say it was blistering hot was possibly a bigger understatement than saying he was scared as he approached the crimson red monster that towered over him. With the dark red of the Weapon in stark contrast to the pale bade of the sand, it was easy to spot the massive being from almost any distance.

The spiky blonde looked up at the monster and drew his sword. Bracing himself by firmly setting his feet in the sand he stared at Ruby Weapon who glared at him with eyes that retained no feeling.

Its long arms simply hung loosely at it sides like they were useless appendages but the sharpen claws on top of the sand were all the proof he needed to tell that it was ready for whatever challenge it would eventually face. Atop its massive body was a dragon like neck with a head that wore a permanent grimace and the red orb in its chest shined like a gem thanks to the rays of the sun.

Ultima weapon gleamed in the light and a pink shade of color fell on the sand as Cloud hoisted the large sword into the air. With a shaky breath escaping his lips, he watched as Ruby Weapon lifted its arms.

The sight itself was enough to make him nervous…

He shook his head to free himself of his delusions. He was right to knock out Cid and Yuffie in order to come here alone. If he couldn't beat this by himself, what could he possibly do to Sephiroth and, if he lost, he would be saving them from the fate he would suffer.

The ex SOLIDER didn't want anyone else to die because of him.

The weapon went into motion and he reacted by bringing his sword up to block. The heavy arm crashed into the dark purple sword and sent it and its owner flying through the air until they finally came to rest a few meters from where he once stood.

Cloud slowly got up and looked at the monster as it started to dig its claws into the ground.

It was going to much harder than he imagined.

He was about to charge forward until he heard the unmistakable sound of his name being yelled. Looking over his shoulder as Ruby Weapon advanced, he cursed as he noticed that Yuffie was running in his direction.

The frown on her face held no resentment despite the fact that he knocked her out. Looking closer, he could see the understanding in her eyes as she neared him. Of course, he never took anyone in the party as stupid but he always though Yuffie was a bit slower than the rest.

That's why he was so surprised when he knew that she could tell he was doing this not only for himself but for their safety as well.

Still… He had to do this on his own.

Turning back around, he dashed forward as fast as he could, "Yuffie! Go-"

The arm that flew past him halted any words he could have uttered.

With speed that didn't match his frame or the large sword he carried, he quickly retracted his steps and ran towards the young girl to prevent her from taking a hit like the one he experienced no more than a few minutes ago.

His heart stopped as he slid in between the gap that separated Yuffie from its claws and covered her. Again, the attack collided into Cloud and he blocked it with everything he had.

Somehow he managed to divert the attack to the side and the blue eyed girl behind him breathed a sigh of relief. As his heart beat returned to normal, he addressed the ninja as he kept his eyes on the monster, "Yuffie…"

"You can't do this alone."

Her words hit just as hard, if not harder, than the hits Ruby Weapon just dished out.

"I didn't have the time to go back to the airship and," She looked at the materia she held in her hand, "Cid is mad at you…"

Cloud shrugged as the Weapon started to dig its claws into the ground, "I wanted to make him mad… the same with you."

If she was offended, she made no mention of it as she stepped from behind him. Yuffie placed the materia back inside the weapon, "I not going anywhere!" She declared as the claws came out of the ground behind them.

Wasting no time, the ninja jumped forward to evade the lashing claws and decided to cast magic. The name of the spell came from her lips and the Weapon gradually stopped moving as the time around it came to a stop.

With a great leap into the air, he decided he would end it as fast as possible as he reached his peak of his jump. He started to descend on the motionless weapon and the only thing he carried with him besides his weapon and a small collection of materia was his will to defeat the thing under him.

"Braver!"

The heavy sword crashed into the monster's head but the only thing that resulted from the attack wasa dull clang.

"Impossible…" Cloud muttered as he landed back on his feet, the Weapon already rousing from the spell that was cast on it.

The monster pulled its arms out of the ground and roared causing the ground to tremble. Caught off guard, the blonde almost fell victim to the thin, red beam that traced the ground. Dashing backwards just in time, Cloud narrowly avoided the ray that caused the ground in front of him to explode.

"Cloud!" Yuffie called out, drawing his attention easily despite the monster in front of him. In seconds, he understood and moved backwards as the sky started to darken. Seemingly out of nowhere, knights just as large as Ruby Weapon started to appear and attacked the monster with attacks so hard that it was forced to resort to defending.

However, before the summon was even finished, Cloud advanced on the Weapon with an attack of his own, "Omnislash!"

Without effort, the swordsman heaved the heavy sword into the air and started to slash at the monster so fast that the naked eye couldn't even see every attack. The frustration he felt at not being able to put a dent in the monster showed as he neared closer to his final attack.

The final knight sailed through the air and Cloud gathered energy for the final strike. At the same time, they attacked the weapon and the monster succumbed to the bright explosion that occurred thanks to the raw power of the dual offensive.

It was a sight Yuffie would never forget.

Cloud softly landed back on the ground as the monster faltered.

He did it… Another weapon was defeated and he did it alone for the most part. The spiky blonde looked over his shoulder at the ninja who quietly looked at the scene in front of him.

"Cloud! It's not-"

The small green orb of pure energy between the two of them cut her off as the environment around them became a pitch black. It was the monster's final spell but possibly also its strongest.

He already knew he could take the full attack but Yuffie obviously wasn't as strong as he was. Again, he rushed to cover the girl but the Ultima spell proved to be too quick. For a moment, nearly the entire desert became a void that was filled with an explosion that could have completely destroyed the planet if it wasn't retained in the endlessvoid.

Ruby Weapon crashed into the sand as it inhaled its last breath.

Cloud pushed himself off the ground and looked around. Save the fact that both the weapon and Yuffie were missing, the desert looked the same as it did before the devastating spell. Abandoning his sword on the ground, he overlooked his own wounds and yelled his companion's name.

"Yuffie!" He yelled, oblivious to the blood streaming down his head.

No response.

Again, he yelled the girl's name and, when he heard no reply, he desperately started to search for the ninja. It couldn't have happened again… If she died because of him…

It was a soft sound. A light laughter erupted from the girl beside him as she rested on the ground, "I'm right here Cloud…" Yuffie said weakly.

With a sigh full of relief, the SOLDIER almost dropped to his knees, "I thought-"

He paused when he saw the condition she was in. She did well in surviving the spell but didn't fair half as well as he did. Her favorite weapon was missing but that was the least of her problems. Besides the various injuries inflicted on her, the most drastic injury by far was the lost of her arm.

Blood flowed freely from the broken stump that used to be her arm and it was only then that he remembered that Yuffie was the intended target of the attack. If she didn't guard herself using her weapon then it was a chance that she wouldn't even be alive…

Without a word, Cloud reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the most valuable materia he had on him. The deep green of the Full Cure materia did little to ease his panic as he decided to put it to use.

"Full Cure!" He cried, as the spell started to take effect.

Still the girl continued to chuckle weakly, "Don't waste your time…"

"Shut up!" Cloud roared as he cast the spell again, seeing that she didn't seem to get any better, "I'm not wasting my time!"

This was more important than beating a weapon and, right now, it was more important than defeating his hated rival. He couldn't allow her to die… No, he wouldn't let her die! This was his fault! If she had left with Cid this never would have happened.

"Cloud…" She smiled as he cast aside the green orb and instead opted to look for something better to use, "I'm glad… I helped."

"Don't waste your energy talking Yuffie!" The blonde said as the ninja looked up at the beautiful blue sky. It was the first time she looked at it and actually admired the sight in a long time…

She started to feel sleepy but Cloud pulled out the most useful spell he had, "Life Two!"

Yuffie rolled on her side and coughed up blood. It hurt so much… She could still feel the burning heat from the spell and the sand that entered her wounds didn't make the experience any better. It made her feel good to know that he tried but she just couldn't live like this…

Before she knew it, she was being hoisted in the air. With his arm securely around her shoulders and under her knees, Cloud held the frail ninja as close as possible and started to run towards his sword. Softly placing the injured girl back on the hot sand, he quickly grabbed his sword and the valuable materia Yuffie brought with her.

It wasn't long before he was running across the desert with the girl in his arms. The heavy sword on his back and the beaming sun did little to lower his resolve, "Yuffie, listen to me."

"Yea…" The ninja softly said, his sweat dripping on her the moment she looked up.

"You… You are not going to die." He paused to catch his breath as he continued to run as fast as he could, "I swear you're not going to die."

What was once his own personal battle against a Weapon became something much more dismal. The awkward young ninja he held in his arms was more than just a member of his party. More than a materia thief or immature girl, she was still his friend and that was what mattered the most.

He wasn't going to watch another important person die in front of him.

For two whole hours, he ran as fast as he could without rest only pausing to cast another spell on the girl he held. In the silence that was only interrupted by the quick sound of his boots digging into the sand and his rapid heartbeat, Yuffie discovered what dripped on her was not only his sweat but also his tears.

The man stumbled and almost fell but he continued nonetheless. He wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer but he could already see the mountains in the distance. If he could make it out of the desert then he would be able to at least set up a tent.

"Yuffie?"

"Huh?" She asked, her eyes barely open.

"Stay awake… I'm going to set up this tent." Cloud voiced as they finally made it out of the desert and onto the grassland, "I'm going to make it quick."

True to his word, he was almost half done putting it up not soon after he placed her on the grass but that didn't mean she could hold up on her half of the deal. With her eyelids becoming heavier by the minute, the girl finally gave in closed her eyes.

0

It was cold. Not just a chill like the kind that normally came across her home town, this was on a completely different level. As a matter of fact, it wasn't even common to experience these kinds of temperatures that were on par with the ones at Bone Village.

Yuffie opened her eyes to find herself lying down inside a tent. With the dim lamp beside her providing the necessary light, she also discovered that she was wrapped up in bandages. By sheer reflex, she looked around for her favorite weapon only to remember in the haze of her mind that she lost not only that but her arm as well.

Still, even though the limb was obviously missing, it felt like it was still there…

She groaned as she sat up. It felt like she haven't moved in days and her stomach reminded her that she couldn't remembered the last time she ate. Upon finding out that she was indeed too tired to move, she laid back down and sighed.

"I bet he's angry…" She whispered as she looked at what was left of her arm. Tenderly, the bandages were securely wrapped around the injury. It was easy to tell that he used his sword to make a clean slice so tending to her would be easier. Sadly, but thinking of the swordsman she remembered the expression on his face.

The way he looked when he was carrying her was the same look he had on his face when Aeris died.

Around the sky blue-eyed man, the subject of Aeris was completely taboo and it was a silent rule that everyone, even the rowdy Cid and gruff Barret, all shared. If she had died, would she be added to that taboo list? Would anyone cry for her like they did for the flower girl who met her untimely end?

Of course not, she was just a materia thief.

Even with that in mind, it surprised her that she took the thought of death so lightly. She could even recall laughing since they defeated the thing but without her arm… she was useless. The best she could do now only dealt with using support magic from the back and that didn't fit her at all.

They had a reason to throw her out now… a reason to abandon her. The same people she fought along side and laughed with were no more than associates. While they may call each other comrades, saying that they were friends was stretching the truth. Much like Cait Sith, she found herself being more an outsider than anything but at least he proved himself useful by doing things that others couldn't. She was just considered a nuisance…

She honestly was just playing around when she took the magical orbs. When everyone got so angry, she was left with no choice but to run away and hide.

"Maybe I should have stayed in Wutai…"

"Yuffie…?" A tired voice caused her to turn her head towards the opening of the tent.

Cloud threw the blankets on the floor of the tent and rushed to her side, "T-Thank goodness… I thought you would never wake up." He softly said, sounding more like a worried mother than a former member of SOLDIER.

Her eyebrow raised in question, "How long was I out?"

"Four days…" He remarked, Ultima weapon falling on the floor with a clang as he kneel towards the girl.

"Why didn't you go back to-"

"I can't leave you alone." Cloud stated with ease, "It'll take me a day and a half at least to try to find where everyone is and… I don't think you can make it back across the desert."

She barely made it here alive. If he tried to haul her back across the desert in the same manner then it wouldn't be surprising if she died in his arms like she almost did before. Overlooking that, he was just glad she wasn't in a coma… All she needed was a few more days and then they could try to make it back to the Highwind.

After everything was said, they descended into an awkward silence.

Cloud pulled out the usual materia and started to cast healing spells on the girl while she quietly rested on floor of the tent. Quietly, he reached back into the pile of stuff he threw on the floor and pulled out a roll of bandages and what looked like some newly purchased materia.

Without a word, he reached for her bare chest and Yuffie turned away by reflex. The blush on her face made it apparent what she had in mind, "Do… do you have to do that now?"

The blonde sighed, "Just let me change your bandages. I promise I won't look any longer than I have to."

Without protest, she sat back up despite the wishes of her body.

The light red on her face took a darker shade as he reached for the bandages wrapped around her thin frame and started to undo them. With the aid of the lamp he slowly pulled back each white strip, some stained in her blood, until her body was exposed.

Once he was finished, the girl brought her hand in front of her chest and turned away from him in obvious embarrassment, "You promised…" Yuffie muttered as she clumsily shielded her breasts with her forearm.

This drew a blush from the man tending to her. The usually brash young ninja in front of him was now a blushing girl trying to shield herself from his eyes as he treated her. For the first time, he realized how cute she actually was.

Her steel blue eyes peeked at him through the dark locks that made up her hair while the green edges of her white headband lay on the floor. Her petite body fit her age perfectly. From the blushing face that turned away from him to the small, firm breasts that she sought to cover and from her long beautiful legs to her thin waste, Yuffie was extremely beautiful… and he just took notice of that now.

"C-Cloud…!"

Her alarmed voice snapped him back into the present, "Huh…?"

"Stop… Stop staring." She pleaded, her tone softening as he shook his head to clear his mind.

"Oh," He said simply as he pulled the roll out of his lap and started to wrap them around the girl after casting another cure spell. It wasn't long before he was finished and turned his attention to the injury he was most worried about…

While the nicks and scratches could be tended to with ease, a few full cure spells would never bring her arm back and, worse, this was something just magic couldn't help. She had to see a doctor soon…

Yuffie bit her lip as he pulled back the bandages with as much restrain as he could manage. Strip by bloody strip came off and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when the cool air flowed across her exposed arm but she knew it wasn't over yet.

"Listen to me Yuffie…" Cloud stared her in the eyes as he picked up the materia he brought when he got the blankets and food, "I… I know this is going to hurt okay? I just need you to be ready for it.

The ninja looked at the green orb, "Don't tell me that's-"

He removed his shoulder guard and placed it aside, "I'm going to hold you okay?"

With a quick nod, she allowed the swordsman to take her into his arms. Idly noticing that it felt more like a hug than what it was supposed to be, Yuffie braced herself but it was no way to prepare for the overwhelming pain that she was going to be forced to endure.

Cloud tightened his hold around the girl, "Fire."

A flame sparked and her arm was on fire. The simple act of setting the wound on fire was easy enough for him but the girl almost passed out as the heat forcefully seared her arm.

"Just a while more…" He whispered, both of his arms wrapping around her as she sealed her eyes closed to prevent tears from falling. Regardless of her attempts to hold them back, her tears stained his shirt as her fingernails clawed into his back.

Before she knew it, he was putting the fire out and quickly wrapping the bandages around the stump that was her arm. Yuffie raised her tear streak face and somehow managed a smile, "I can tell you like your meat well done." She whispered, never missing a chance to lighten the situation.

"That's not funny Yuffie… I should have done it while you were sleep." Cloud remarked as he reached into a bag behind him and pulled out some bread and a bottle of water.

"Where did you go?"

"I got lucky and found that North Coral wasn't far from here but we left the Highwind near Costa Del Sol… I just climbed a mountain to see our location and saw the town." He placed the loaf of bread in her lap, "They didn't have much but I got as much as I could carry."

Again, she blushed as she fumbled the bread around before managing to grasp it with her hand, "Thank you… for going this far for me."

His bright blue eyes fell on the ninja, "You don't have to thank me. I would do the same for anyone."

Oddly enough, she felt glad to hear his words but, at the same time, she felt overlooked. If he would do the same for anyone in the party then that also meant that she was accepted by him but it also meant that she wasn't special…

"I'm sorry though…" Cloud continued, "For knocking you out and getting you caught up in this."

"I chose to come." Yuffie chewed the soft bread and swallowed it, "You don't have to apologize." She said, mimicking his voice.

To her credit, he actually laughed. The light sound of amusement coming from his throat betrayed the serious nature of the situation. In retrospect, she realized that this was the first time he honestly laughed with her.

For a moment, she forgot…

She forgot that she wouldn't be able to fight anymore and she forgot that it was a chance she wouldn't see next week. The female ninja didn't take notice of the fact that they more than miles away from anyone they knew or cool wind that made her shiver occasionally.

"I haven't seen you laugh like that since Aeris-"

Cloud immediately stopped laughing and turned to her with a look of mild shock as she broke the unwritten law. The raw emotion in his eyes told her that he was already having flashbacks just at the mention of her name.

Dropping the bread, Yuffie motioned to apologize but the damage was already done. He stood up and turned around to dig in the pile of stuff he dropped on the floor when he entered.

"Cloud… I'm sorry for bringing it up but you know it wasn't your fault." The black haired girl paused but the words slipped out of mouth before she could hold them back, "You have to mo-"

"She said she loved me…" He whispered his confession, as he pulled out a smaller piece of bread.

It was her turn to be shocked. The peaceful flower girl was certainly important to everyone and she was even sad to see her go that way but she always figured Cloud took it the hardest for other reasons.

"She loved me." Cloud repeated with his back turned.

Still, none of those reasons had anything to do with the thought of love.

"You fell in love with her?" Yuffie asked, her understanding of the feeling minimal at best.

"That's what makes it hurt so much," He looked over his shoulder at the girl as she continued to eat, "I never got the chance to…"

Cloud sat back down and looked out the opening of the tent at the night sky, "You know, I always hated looking at the Highwind because she never got to ride on it. She never really got to enjoy anything…"

"You shouldn't keep all that inside Cloud." Yuffie stared at him and their eyes locked on one another, "It'll only make you more depressed."

He laid the half-eaten piece of bread down as the girl sneezed. Wasting no time, he neatly unfolded the blankets he got and placed them on top of the girl who looked up in awe, "You… You got all this stuff for me? Cloud… I-"

"Just rest." He said softly, cutting her off again in the process.

With only half a loaf of bread, Cloud returned to his side of the tent as she continued to eat as much as she could. In minutes, the bottle of water was empty and the bread she had was gone. Feeling uneasy since she had everything he bought back with him, Yuffie tried to fall asleep in the comfortable warmth provided by the blankets until she heard the sound of him lifting his sword.

"Wait!" She yelled just in time to stop him from going back into the night.

"You're still thirsty?" He asked, his eyes telling her he would faithfully get more water if she wanted him to.

"It's not that… Where are you going?"

"To stand watch." Cloud voiced honestly, "I have to stop any monsters that come looking for something to eat."

"When was the last time you went to sleep though?"

The question caught him off guard, "I… I don't know."

She appreciated the fact that he was going out of his way for her but he was going over his limit, "Come sleep with me then."

The grip on his sword loosened and Cloud almost tripped as the weight of the sword nearly brought him down with it as the weapon fell to the floor, "Ex-Excuse me?"

"Don't be stupid!" Yuffie roared as she sat back up with a blush to match the one on his face, "I don't mean like that!"

With his face still flushed with color, he moved back towards her, "Are you-"

"Just do it Cloud. It's too late in the night to be arguing." She said, taking her turn to cut him off for once.

With an air of nervousness surrounding him, he pulled the blankets back and kept as much space between them as possible. Unconsciously turning to sleep on her side, she rolled over to find his bright eyes staring directly at her. She didn't notice it before but she could smell the mako energy that was infused with every part of his body. Almost on cue, a breeze blew into the tent and she pulled the blankets over them as they continued to stare at each other.

While looking at his sky blue eyes, she only understood now how fragile he was. As long as she could remember, Cloud hid himself from everyone even though he was at the center of everyone's attention. Using extreme caution, he covered his true feelings with his cold nature. Even if his emotional barrier cracked every so often, he never told anyone how he really felt.

In those eyes, she saw a reflection of herself. In a similar fashion, she attempted to conceal her feelings but she already knew she couldn't do it as well as the man beside her.

She cried aloud and didn't care who witnessed her sobs but Cloud shed his tears quietly and alone. They were alike but, at the same time, they were so different.

"I'm… sorry about your arm." His voice was calm and collected but his eyes betrayed him. The concern in the depths of his aquamarine eyes became even more apparent as he directed his line of sight to the blankets on top of them.

Yuffie smiled to lighten his mood more than anything else, "You have to stop apologizing so much. It doesn't suit you."

"I'm serious Yuffie," Cloud sighed, "I know saying sorry isn't enough and I can't possibly make it up to you…"

"Just don't throw me out of the party…" She said slowly, the thought of returning to her home as a failure becoming more disturbing than the idea of supporting everyone from the back.

"N-Never!" Cloud blinked, "I won't throw you out because you can't fight!"

He stared her directly in the eye, "If you can't protect yourself then I'll defend you from anything!"

"Something you'll do for anyone right?" Yuffie spat out, not intending to word it that way.

"It's something I'll do for you." He said lightly, the words leaving his mouth the moment she posed the question.

Again the wind blew, and she moved closer to him. However her sudden movement wasn't because of the breeze or even because of an attempt to seek more warmth. The distance between them was closed in a kiss.

His eyes went wide with shock as her lips pressed into his.

In the seconds it took for the ninja to advance on him, he found himself in a daze brought on by the fact that his first kiss was stolen from him. Was he upset? Not in the least. The only feeling he could accurately convey was the confusion that shined in his eyes.

Yuffie's tongue swirled from the corner of his mouth and across his lips causing them to part. Before he knew it, her tongue was flicking around in his mouth and her slightly opened dark blue eyes stared at the man under her as they shared a kiss.

Needless to say, he relented without any attempt to push her away and that itself urged her forward. She didn't need her arm to be able to do things like this and that fact was made clear as he kissed her back.

His arms drew her even closer to him but, this time, their closeness was far more intimate. The passionate kiss continued and Cloud, thanks to his lack of experience with things of this sort, allowed her to do what she wanted.

Like the fresh scent of mako, she could taste it in his mouth.

He tasted like water… Overflowing with raw energy at times but could be as quiet a thin stream. With that, the kiss was broken and the small trial of saliva that connected their lips glistened in the dim light before disappearing.

It was nothing to be said.

It was simply a reaction. A reflex brought on by his words with no mind paid to the eventual outcome of her actions. The thought that he would get angry? Never occurred. The belief that he would laugh it off? Overlooked. The chance that he would want more…? Simply unfeasible.

'No… It wasn't a reflex,' The ninja thought as they stared into each other's eyes, 'I did it because I wanted to.'

Yuffie was never a logical person. She did what she wanted to do and didn't care if it didn't make sense to others. Her ideals blended with her way of life and because of that she was not so much ignorant of others but intolerant of them. That's why she separated herself from the others and felt so alone when she was around them.

She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was the same in that regard.

"Yuffie…" The silence was broken with the mention of her name and Cloud shifted under her as his mind went back to functioning properly, "I… Why?" He fumbled his words around.

She licked her lips, "Because it's something I can do for you."

Of all the people that came to mind, the young ninja was the last person on his list of people he thought would kiss. As a matter of fact, he never even thought about a relationship with anyone after Aeris died. With a burning resolve to save the world by destroying her murderer, his love life was put behind him as he wielded his sword to protect not only those around him but also the planet itself.

To say he never thought about her like this would be a lie but he certainly could honestly admit to not having repressed feelings for the girl. With as much care as possible, he slid from under her, "This… I-"

"You're uncomfortable with me?"

"It isn't like that," He shook his head, "It's just so sudden."

"It's a thank you Cloud." She flashed him a smile as he blinked.

The shock written on his face faded into a pink shade of embarrassment, "You could have just said it." The ex-SOLIDER said dryly.

"It wouldn't have been fun then though." She giggled, "It was your first kiss right?"

Cloud coughed and turned away to hide his blush, "It was…"

The smile on her face became larger, "I'm glad you liked it."

The spiky blonde rolled on his side and faced his companion. The light amusement in her voiced eased him enough to make his eyes close. Before he felt himself drifting to sleep, he stared at her, "You're welcome…"

Yuffie felt a warm sensation in her chest as his words reached her. Quietly, she watched her leader fall asleep as the days he spent without rest finally got to him. Abruptly, she started to cough. With each violent cough, her body shook and her throat started to burn. Despite her best efforts to stay quiet, Cloud's eyes snapped open and he immediately reached for the materia on him.

"I'm okay," She said as her coughs died down, "I'm alright…"

Her words didn't go along with the blood on her hand. She already knew she was hurt but it was only now that she seriously accepted the fact. As the blood started to drip on the blanket, Cloud cast a spell but it didn't have any effect. She still felt the same regardless of how many times he used Full Cure and she didn't want to hurt him by letting him know that his efforts were in vain.

The thought of taking a nap was now replaced with the need to aid her as he pulled the blankets back and got up. After making sure that she was really okay, Cloud grabbed his weapon.

The sword was now so pale that it was nearly transparent but he paid no attention to the state of his weapon. He hoisted the weapon into the air, "Yuffie, you are going to live. I swear on everything I have I won't let you die…" He declared more to himself than her.

He walked back into the darkness of the night and she was powerless to stop him.

"Cloud…" Yuffie whispered, falling into small fit of coughs.

0

She woke up in a cold sweat and bolted up like someone shook her awake. That dream… No, that nightmare was so terrible that she thought it was real. Now fully aware of her surroundings, Yuffie could only recall fragments of the nightmare but the images that came to mind still weren't at all pleasant.

Even though she could barely recall what transpired in the dream, she could faintly remember lying in the desert. Alone… she baked under the desert sun while she slowly died.

Although it was ghastly, it almost perfectly mirrored how she felt.

If… If she was going to die then she didn't want to be alone when it happened.

The same beams of sunlight that assaulted her in her nightmare filtered through the flap that covered the tent's opening. Everyday was the same in his place. It was hot during the day and almost bitter cold during the night. The sky was always void of clouds and the sun remained the shinning yellow dot that made her resent the desert so much.

Yuffie rolled off of the makeshift bed and held back a groan as she stood up. Put off balance thanks to the fact she was missing an arm and also because she haven't walked in days, she swayed and started to fall.

The impact she was expecting was instead a steady grab.

Cloud carefully caught the girl who was surprised that she didn't see him the first time. However, what really shocked her was the fact that he was obviously half sleep. His aquamarine eyes slowly opened as he too was surprised to find the girl in his arms, "Yuffie…?" His voice sounded scratchy, almost like went too long without saying anything.

"Cloud," She slid out of his grasp and looked him up and down, "You don't look too good…" The ninja said softly, her tone completely serious as her eyes focused solely on him.

Besides the fact that he lost weight, the bags under his eyes made it all too easy to tell that he went far too long without rest and his skin seemed even more pale than before. The distant look in his eyes alone was enough to tell her that he lost all the energy he had a long time ago, he was running completely off his resolve.

A normal man would have died from exhaustion.

No, someone didn't just start looking like that after a couple of days, "How… How long was I sleep?"

"We have to leave," Cloud ignored the question and picked up the almost perfectly clear sword, the red line in the center being the only color left on the black, "More monsters are coming everyday since our location and the fact that he have food aren't easy to hide…"

"You didn't answer me."

"Eat something and put your clothes on…" He muttered as he started to step outside the tent, "We have to go before more monsters come. We can't try waiting for them to find us anymore."

"Cloud stop!"

Slowly, he continued to move out of the tent but she grabbed his shoulder. Giving him a sudden shock, Cloud's half closed eyes snapped open and he spun around with the intent to kill glowing in his eyes until he discovered the girl in front of him wasn't a monster. He stopped mid-strike and both the weight of the weapon and speed of attempted slash brought him falling to the ground in a crash.

It was just like she suspected. Even Cloud had his limits…

Yuffie, completely serious for once, did a double take at the swordsman and then looked outside for the tent. Just like she remembered, they were at the base of a mountain and it wasn't hard to spot the desert that wasn't that far away. What surprised her though wasn't the blistering hot day but the vast number of slain monsters on the dry grass.

She gulped as she realized that it was a good chance that they would have seriously died if they had slept together. Quickly shaking her head to get the wrong image out of her mind, the ninja decided Cloud was right. If that many monsters were coming… then they had to leave or else risked being overwhelmed when another group of them came.

What worried her most wasn't her condition but Cloud's…

The man in front of her that fought to get back to his feet was barely awake. That wouldn't be so bad if he had just woke up, but the SOLDIER obviously went without sleep for far too long. Add that with the fact that he didn't drink or eat his share, and then you had someone that wasn't even remotely in shape to go anywhere.

Feeling bad for making him fall in the first place, she offered a hand. Using all her strength to help him to his feet, Yuffie dug her heels into the floor of the tent and aided him in getting to his feet.

Releasing him so she could retrieve her shirt, she opted to leave everything else behind. She didn't need her arm guard since she wouldn't be fighting and Cloud already carried all the materia.

"Get on my back." He ordered, crouching to the ground for her.

"Are you crazy…? You can barely walk straight!"

"Just do it…" The look in his eyes told her that she didn't have a choice.

A lone arm wrapped around his neck and her chest pressed into his back. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she was sure he was going to fall backwards when he stood but he surprised her by standing firm despite his lack of energy.

"Yuffie… Costa Del Sol is where we are going." The gasp that he heard honestly didn't surprise him, "It has to have a doctor who can treat you."

"You should worry about-" Her own coughs cut her off and Cloud told her to hold tighter as he started to walk outside holding his weapon at the ready. The slow walk eventually evolved into a jog which in turn became full out running.

Step after step was left in the sand and Cloud continued to maintain his balance as he ran as fast as he could. With nothing but the hazy view of the horizon stretching in nearly all directions, he ran in the direction he only thought the vacation town to be. If he was wrong…

'No… I can't be wrong… for her sake.' The swordsman thought as a group of Land Worms turned their attention to him. Without wasting a second, he put some of the materia he had to use.

The Deathblow materia gleamed in the desert sun and the advancing monster got its head sliced clean off. As the giant's worm body fell into the sand, Cloud used his momentum to jump off the creature's head and launched himself into the air, "Hang on!"

The ground below them started to breakup below them thanks to the earthquake the monsters caused but neither he nor Yuffie took that into account as they soared through the air. She squeezed her arm around his neck and her legs got tighter around his waist. Like the calm before the storm, it was almost peaceful as they sailed through the air towards the gigantic worms.

Yuffie held her breath as they started their decent… right towards the thing's mouth. She shivered as she looked at the circular rows of sharp teeth but Cloud was already wise to what it was trying to do.

"Meteorain!" He yelled as he started spinning the large sword in the air. Large chucks of rocks sped towards the monster and smashed into it with enough force to kill it.

Cloud gritted his teeth as the final worm summoned a sandstorm. He landed on the sand and nearly fell off balance until he placed his sword in the ground to stable himself. Taking advantage of his opening the worm quickly slithered across the sand but, again, he was ready for the attack.

He was past his limit already… it was useless to hold back now.

His glowing eyes calmly looked at the monster as it rapidly approached them.

"Cloud!" Yuffie yelled, closing her eyes as the monster bounced off the ground and opened its mouth to devour them.

"Finishing touch."

He summoned a tornado that sucked everything up in front of him. The sandstorm disappeared as the large worm was pulled into the air. Cloud sighed in relief as the monster didn't drop back down.

"Oh my god… I swear I love you Cloud." The black haired girl whispered, extremely thankful that they didn't get eaten.

"Never thought you'd say something like that…" He replied with a slight smile as he started to run again. What he didn't say though was that, even if he was holding it just as tightly as she was holding him, he couldn't swing his sword anymore.

If they encountered another monster he would have to avoid it.

He couldn't even feel himself running anymore… Now he was just floating. He finally took notice of how hot it was as sweat started to build on his brow. At this rate, they weren't even going to be close to the resort town when he passed out.

His eyes were completely opened as he furthered strained himself by picking up his speed. The heavy footsteps he left before became lighter and he lowered himself closer to the ground. Although this was the wrong time to think about it, it felt like she was riding a chocobo.

Cloud was perhaps the strongest and fastest person she knew. Even though he was exhausted, he still managed to carry her at this speed. As the wind lashed at her face and made her hair flutter, she came to the conclusion that he was probably as, if not more, deserving of the label ninja as she was.

Swiftly the man continued to run at speeds he only that he normal people couldn't possibly attain and, of course, it wasn't soon before another land worm started to give chase. Diving under the sand, the monster was quickly gaining on them and Cloud knew that it wasn't long before they were going to be caught.

He took his hand off his sword and reached in his pocket. Randomly pulling out one of the small orbs, Cloud frowned as he decided to use it anyway.

As he continued to run forward while carrying the girl, a moogle riding a chocobo sped pass them in the opposite direction. Yuffie couldn't help but chuckle as the moogle stood and saluted them. Returning its attention to the monster, the moogle pointed forward as the yellow chocobo ran directly into the worm the moment it appeared on the surface.

The collusion was terrible and she cringed when the sound of the impact reached her ears. She turned her head back to the sight in front of them were she could finally see something besides sand. He did it again…

Cloud tripped and landed hard on the sand. Yuffie rolled off his back and skidded on the desert sand until she came to a stop a few feet ahead of him. The ninja sighed and rolled on her back, "He almost did it…" She corrected herself.

Looking over at her companion, she saw that he was attempting to get up but his body wouldn't allow it. Even if his will was still intact, his body just started to shut down. He too turned over on his back as he decided he wasn't getting up anytime soon.

Both of them simply laid on the hot sand while the sun baked them.

So this was finally it? Cloud tried his best and this was all it amounted to?

She wasn't disappointed in any sense of the word. Instead, she was glad that he tried. At least he would be able to get his rest for a while and then run just a few more miles, but this was the end of the line for her… She didn't feel like moving anymore. She didn't feel like dragging him down with her.

"I'm sorry Yuffie…"

She smiled, "For what? Feeling me up?" She said, remembering how his gloved had slid across her thigh.

He wiped the sweat of his forehead with the back of his hand, "You can still talk like that even now."

"Yea," She placed her arm over her eyes, "Not like we got much else to talk about…"

Cloud turned towards the girl he shared his first kiss with, "Did you mean it…?"

Yuffie didn't have to ask him what he meant. She remembered blurting the words out at the time but she still meant them regardless, "Yea, I love you." The girl said quickly not needing long to think about it.

Love was a fickle thing. It was a feeling that the girl never did ponder much about until recently. She inhaled the dry air of the desert and slowly exhaled as she thought about the man beside her. How could her feelings not grow after the extent he went to in order to ensure her safety? Even if he failed, she knew that she loved him and nothing could change that.

"I think… I love you too."

"Mushy stuff before I go huh…?"

"Don't say it like that." Cloud whispered, his concerned blue eyes making her feel bad for her callous words.

"You know," Yuffie looked at the cloudless sky, "I real reason I wanted materia was so I could go back and really kick my father's sorry ass. Restore the pride of my country? Haha."

"I didn't want anyone to find out but I made a mistake and dropped my sword on Cait Sith once. I think it was the third one." Cloud said as they both chuckled.

"Was it really a mistake?" Yuffie asked curiously wondering if he still didn't trust Reeve.

"Yea, but he deserved it for that garbage fortune he gave me."

Their soft chuckles turned into full blown laughter. Under the unmerciful heat of the desert, the two continued to laugh. It was only in the midst of his amusement did he start to understand why she was laughing after they defeated Ruby Weapon. This hopelessness was actually funny. The idea that they would die here was quick becoming more real than either would like and that is why it was so amusing.

In the middle of nowhere, two people who dispatched a Weapon were going to meet their end not in battle but instead on the sandy ground.

She wiped a tear out of her eye, "If we survive… let me have all your materia."

"Yea," Cloud replied as his laughter died down, "If… If you let me have another kiss."

Yuffie blushed, "You didn't have to ask."

She received no reply. Turning her head, she found that he had already passed out. Suddenly, she recalled that nightmare she had. Alone, she was in the middle of nowhere. With no one to spend time with or talk to in her final moments, she withered away in the desert.

She coughed loudly and made no attempt to stifle the fit of coughs. At least she had the small pleasure of knowing that she couldn't wake him up this time.

The ninja smiled brightly despite the blood dribbling down her chin. She wasn't alone and she did have someone who was with her. Yuffie turned towards Cloud and started to close her eyes with the knowledge that, even if no one else really accepted her, it was someone who loved her.

0

"Well, damn. Slap a gunarm on her and I bet she'll kick more ass than he does."

"You betta watch who ya talk to cuz I bet I could whoop yo ass."

"Uh…"

"You two be quiet! She's waking up…"

Yuffie opened her eyes and the only thing she could see was the worried face of Tifa staring down at her. Those scarlet eyes held much of the same concerned that shined in Cloud's eyes. She sat up in the bed and everyone in the room quieted down.

With an exception or two, everyone was in the room. Red XIII took a look at the girl as she looked around and made his exit after he was sure that she was alright. Barret looked up from the chair he was sitting in and Cid moved closer to the bed as she noticed that they were in an inn.

"Vincent and Cait Sith went to look for your weapon." Tifa said, offering the information because of the look on her face, "He left you one of his guns in case-"

"They didn't have to do that…" Yuffie rubbed her head as the headache made it feel like her brain was spinning around, "I'm not a big fan of guns. I'll thank him later but… what happened?"

At that Cid took the cigarette out of his mouth, "I'm looking all over the damn desert for sight of your scrawny ass and then I came back to the airship so we could use the Highwind to search for you."

Despite the rough way he talked, it was easy to tell that the man was glad to see her alive thanks to the small smile on his face. Placing his cigarette back in his mouth, the pilot bent over and looked the girl in the face as he told his story, "So, about eleven days in, I'm on the deck still looking and I throw the cigarette I finished overboard. Then, if you can believe it, I see a blue and green dot next to each other in all that sand. A damn miracle I tell ya."

Finishing his story with a broad smile, Yuffie almost laughed at the thought that his habit of smoking saved their lives. However, at the thought, the ninja noticed that Vincent and Reeve's alter ego weren't the only people missing in the room, "Where's Cloud?"

"That idiot! Knocking me out so he could fight alone? I should have beat his-"

"He's right there." Tifa voiced softly, cutting off Cid before he could go off into how angry he was that Cloud knocked him out. While it was funny seeing that he really didn't mean what he said, her dark blue eyes could only focus on the foot of the bed where she could see the blonde edges of his hair.

"Well," Cid took the cigarette out of his mouth and dug it into the ashtray that was already littered with cigarettes, "Just came to see how you were doing kid. Got to get back to the crew before things get too crazy without me."

With that, the black man sitting in the chair stood up also, "Guess I best to be leaving too, I can get sum done to ya arm if ya want me to."

Yuffie shook her head, "I'm alright… thanks for the offer though."

The two grown men followed Red's example and left the room after they were certain that the kid was okay. Now, besides her, the room was empty save Tifa and the blonde sleeping in front of the bed.

"We all should have gone to fight it…" The older woman took a seat on the edge of the bed, "I knew he would do something reckless but I never thought he would try to fight it alone."

"Don't worry about it." Yuffie laid back down, "Besides we beat the thing."

Tifa looked at her best friend as he peacefully slept for the first time in nearly two weeks, "The doctor said you two were seriously about to die… Especially you Yuffie."

The ninja blinked, "What?"

"Severe head trauma, broken ribs, internal injuries, your arm, burns, and the list went on… All they demanded was that Cloud take a few days of rest but they had to operate on you." She never took her eyes of their leader, "They don't know how he did it but he really did save your life."

"You don't need to tell me that."

"I know. It's just that he almost died taking care of you…" She whispered.

It wasn't a surprise that he did it. Tifa always knew that he would do something like this if his friends were in trouble but now she had a horrifying example of it. Would he have gone to this extent for the rest of them? For her? For Aeris…?

"He'd do it for anyone." She said as she looked at the ceiling of the inn, answering Tifa's questions like she read her mind.

Tifa hopped off the bed and smiled at the girl, "Guess that's about right. I'll let you get your rest now."

"Wait Tifa," Yuffie waited for the fighter to turn around until she asked her question, "Can you tell them to comeback… I won't need my weapon anytime soon."

"Sure." She replied before leaving out of the rented room.

Yuffie smiled as she pulled back the sheets. The swordsman did exactly what he said he would do. They made it to Costa Del Sol and her nightmare didn't at all become reality simply because of Cloud's efforts to make sure she lived.

Not only that but now she knew… She knew everyone in the party cared. Even if it took such a dire situation to bring it to the light, she could tell that everyone really cared but there still wasn't many people who honestly loved her. Taking a look at the tips of blond hair at the front of the bed, she already started to set her mind into motion.

Like always, she had mischief on mind as she brought her legs to the edge of the bed and got up. Taking her first few steps to make sure she could keep her balance, Yuffie then started to quietly make her way to the front of the bed where her savior slept.

Peeking at the closed door, she tiptoed towards Cloud and barely held back a laugh at the happy expression on his face. The same serious SOLIDER that slaughtered monsters left and right was sleeping with a childish smile on his face but she couldn't blame him because she had the same smile on her face.

With ease, she reached her hand into his pocket and grabbed handfuls of the magical orbs, "A deal is a deal." She stated as she robbed him of his materia.

His lips pressed into her cheek and her eyes went wide with shock. Yuffie raised her hand and touched the spot on her face where he kissed her as he looked her in the face, "Yea… it is."

The young ninja was never the type of person to cry but she couldn't stop the tears that started to come as she wrapped her arm around her boyfriend and nuzzled her head into his chest. She couldn't recall ever being this happy, "You're still an idiot with spiky hair."

As she made his shirt damp with tears of happiness, Cloud rubbed his hand around in her hair, "You're still a materia thief." He said with a light laugh.

He held her close to him as he started to fall asleep again.

"But I still love you…" She said easily as he yawned. This time, she watched him fall asleep in peace and, without having to just hope, he knew that she was going to be alright.

-Fin

Author's Note: A fan sent me an email asking me to do a story and I did it. I like how it came out especially since it isn't many Cloud / Yuffie stories in the first place.While this is probably my first and lastFinal Fantasy VII story, I'm glad to say that I think it's alright.Now that I'm finished, I think I'll take a look at some other Final Fantasy VII stories.

Also, this story goes out to Miho wherever she is. o.o

Many thanks for reading and many many thanks for reviewing.


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